There are many types of hardware for hanging various forms of window coverings. Certain types of window coverings, such as curtains, hang from a curtain rod that is suspended horizontally traversing a width of a window opening. There are also many configurations of curtain rods and mounting brackets systems to hang curtains. The rod and bracket mounting hardware also can vary from elaborate and expensive to very simple and inexpensive.
An example of an elaborate rod and bracket assembly is one screwed or otherwise affixed to a wall above the window opening and adapted to accommodate curtains with pull cords or draw strings that are used to open and close the curtains. An example of a very simple construction is a spring tension rod that is compressed, set within a window opening, and released. The ends of the rod forcibly bear against opposite sides of the opening and use friction to retain the rod in position. The rod supports a curtain with a plurality of loops or an elongate tunnel through which the rod is threaded.
Problems with the more elaborate systems are, for example, relatively high cost, installation complexity, and ill suited for hanging simple window curtains. Such elaborate systems are not always desirable or warranted as a simple solution for covering a window opening.
Problems with simple spring tension curtain rod are, for example, that they do not always stay suspended within the window opening, can support only so much weight, and are not capable of supporting a curtain outside or spaced outward from the window opening. Each spring tension rod has a design limit as to how much weight it can vertically support before the suspended load overcomes the friction force supporting the rod. Also, the spring mechanism of the rod can become less resilient over time or as a result of repeated use, causing the applied friction force to reduce. Further, a typical spring tension rod requires that is be positioned within the window opening between opposed surfaces and thus, a curtain can only be suspended within the opening. As a result, such a rod cannot be used to hang curtains positioned forward from the window opening. Such an aesthetic look is often desirable.
There are other intermediate types of curtain hanging systems where the rod is positioned similar to the more elaborate system described above. However, the mounting hardware can be difficult to install. Numerous fasteners are needed to attach mounting brackets to a wall surface. The rod is then suspended from the brackets. To install such a rod can require taking measurements, drilling holes, utilizing anchors for drywall or plaster surfaces, and installation of fasteners.